It Was Probably His Dog's Poo I Stepped In Anyway

Join Us for Monday Mayhem

Welcome to Monday Mayhem, where no two Mondays are the same.
Today’s meme is the scenario meme. For each prompt, simply write your best answer.
1. You see a strange car pull up to your neighbor’s house every day at lunch time. You accidental glance into the window of the house and notice that your ‘happily married neighbor’ is fooling around! What do you do?

I tell my husband.  Our neighbor is a young man that we have known for fourteen years.  As he has grown up he has spent a lot of time at our house.  He was raised by his grandparents, and did not have his own father around most of the time.  He and my husband have a good relationship.  So after I tell my husband, he would find a way to speak to our neighbor about what is going on and try and find out why he is doing what he is doing.  From there, whatever the answers are my husband would do his best to help our neighbor make the proper decisions.

2. You are at the mall and a mom with really annoying screaming little kids is walking in front of you. She goes to give her kids a quarter for the giant gum ball machine and she accidentally drops a $10 bill and doesn’t realize it. What do you do?
  
I would give it back to her.  For me $10 sometimes represents a lot of money.  I would hate to think that she really needed that $10 for something and did not have it anymore.  Plus, in the past people have given me back money I have accidentally dropped, I see it as paying it forward.

3. You get an email from a candy company telling you that they will send you 6 pounds of delicious chocolate if you blog about their product. When you get the product and try it you realize that it is the worst chocolate that you have ever tasted. What do you do?

Most likely I would have said no in the first place because I am a diabetic, but for the sake of argument lets pretend that I would say yes to their offer.  If the chocolate came and tasted that bad, I would call up the candy company and tell them how much I disliked their candy.  I would also ask, if they would like for me to ship back the chocolate.


4. Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous and annoying things someone could do. Yet, what would you do if you were driving and listening to the radio when the announcer says that he will give $10,000 to the first person with your name that texts a message to him?

I have a hard time texting even when I am not driving….in this case though I would do like I usually do, ask my daughter to do the texting for me. 

5. You’ve been invited to your boss’s house for a dinner party. It’s dark out and there is poor lighting when you get there. As soon as you get inside you realize that you have stepped in dog poop and you have tracked into your boss’s house. What do you do?

I would pretend that I had to get something out of my car so I could wipe the poo that was on my shoe onto the grass.  Then I would not say a word, and hope the boss would not notice.  It was probably his dog’s poo I stepped in anyway.

6. You are at a restaurant waiting for your food to arrive. You’ve waited nearly 30 minutes since the moment you placed your order when your food finally shows up. There is a hair on the top of the food. Do you send it back and wait another 30 minutes or do you deal? 

Oh!  I would send it back.  There is no way I would eat hairy food, especially when it was not my own hair.

7. If you had the power to do so, what would be the one question that you would like to ask anyone who reads this? 

What their answers to number 1 and 2 would be. 

The Simple Woman's Daybook – January 18, 2010

~The Simple Woman’s Daybook~

Would you like to linger on the simple things…then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity…beauty of the ‘everyday moments’.

FOR TODAYJanuary 18, 2010

Outside my window…much warmer than last week, and muddy.  We had loads of rain last night.



I am thinking…that it is good to sleep more than I used to be able to.



I am thankful for…good neighbors



I am wearing…Pajamas


I am remembering…how bad I USED to feel



I am going…out much later on.  My husband is working out of town and our paycheck was very small last week.  He got an advance on his paycheck for me to pick up, so that I had a bit more money for things.


I am currently reading…mostly blogs and doing research.



I am hoping…to get started on writing a book in one week.



On my mind…concern for my husband.  He is working so hard and not getting enough sleep.



Noticing that…I have been a little down the last few days.

Pondering these words… Every day may not be a good day, but there is something good in every day.”  

I makes me think about my attempt to find something good in every day and in every situation.  It is a good reminder for me.



From the kitchen…no sounds of water dripping.  We had to leave the water dripping almost every night last week.  It was so cold we thought our pump would freeze



Around the house…enjoying the quiet time.



One of my favorite things~is talking to my daughter.


Picture of the Day – January 18th, 2010

The last few years of having a mom who was “checked out” due to severe depression has been hard on my daughter, Anna. In an effort to try and rebuild that relationship and because she really enjoys taking pictures, she was given a page in my blog to show off her pictures. All the pictures you will see in this section, will have been taken by my daughter. I personally think she does an awesome job.

Anna enjoys see any feedback anyone has about her pictures, so if you like what you see here, why not leave her a comment and let her know.
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Buster and Minnie Playing

Not Slacking

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I apologize for getting my blog out so late today.  I really do try and get about half of it done the day before, so it is not so much work to do at one time, but that did not happen this time.  I got so caught up in learning new things about what I could add to the blog that I lost track of time.  Also, my husband has been working out of town the last few days and he came home early this morning for a visit that lasted a few hours.  I wanted to spend some time with him.  With all of that, I did not get a chance to work on the blog until late this afternoon.  

My husband works for a logging company.  He drives a logging truck.  Right now they are working in Tennessee.  The mill hired the company he works for, to exclusively supply them with logs twenty-four hours a day for the next two weeks.  My husband got picked for the night shift.  Since I am usually sleeping while he is awake, for right now, we do not even get to talk on the phone much. So the visit today was a nice treat.  

Layout Changes

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I am always learning new things about making blogs easy to navigate through and pretty to look at.  Take last night for example, I was working on a new blog, The Skippin’ Ninja, and I ran across some great tutorials.  Being the curious person I am, I had to read through them and implement a few of the things I saw.  It took me hours and hours.  I am new to the type of coding that has to be done in the blogger layouts, so there were many failures.  I did have a few successes though.

Take your time and look through the changes I made, and give me your honest opinion about them.  I am looking for things like…Does it make my blog easier to navigate?  Does it make my blog look less busy and less distracting?  Is the site pretty to look at?

I am looking forward to your comments.

Jump Out Of A Perfectly Good Airplane!?!?

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger and blog named

Astrid Paramita. She states that she stole it at BubbleBoo. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft’s thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing


Sunday Stealing: The Trivia About Me Meme

Opening…

Do you get regular massages?

No

Do you have an answering machine?

No

What cuss word do you use the most?
 
I try not to cuss, but I have to admit the one I use the most is “Shit”
 

Are you underweight or overweight?
 

Overweight
 

Can you see your veins?
 

Yes, however even though they are visible they still stuck BIG TIME when it comes time for an IV.

Favorite…

Soap?

Anything with Lavender in it. 
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Fruit?

naner

Kind of red meat?

Anything that comes from a cow, that is in the shape of a ribeye, that is cooked rare with sprinkle of blue cheese on top.

Fish?

salmon

Candy bar?

I do not eat candy anymore, but when I did, it was a tie between an almond joy and a kit kat.

Have You Ever…

Eaten a whole bag of potato chips?

That would be a no.

Eaten lobster?


mmmmm yesssss, good stuff!
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Climbed a mountain?

Part of one

Been skydiving?

Why in the world would I want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

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Been water skiing?

If by water skiing you mean, being drug behind a boat as I hung onto a rope, and had gallons of lake water streaming into my mouth, then yes, I have been water skiing.

Do You…

Wish you could change something about your life?

Nope!  All of the parts make a whole.  With out those things, the good and the bad, I would not be who I am today. 
 

Like your nose?



When it is not dripping snot from allergies, which is all the time, so I guess I really do not like it.
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Like salt and vinegar chips?

Love ’em!

Eat salsa?

Yep, my grandma’s home made salsa mostly.

Own a boat?

No way!  I get sea sick very very easy.

What Is…

A small thing that people let slide but that actually has dire consequences?

Saying things that hurt other people’s feelings.  Words do damage.

Your most macho trait?

This one is hard, I am a girly girl.  I guess liking to argue, but not as much as I used to.

The longest relationship you’ve ever had?

Fourteen years.

Your most embarrassing thoughts?

Oh geez!  Those are very private.

Your most shameful moment?


After I tried to kill myself in May, I went into a coma, when I was coming out of the coma apparently, I became violent.  I had to be restrained.  I do not recall any of that, but when I finally became aware of my surroundings, I overheard the guards in my room talking about how I had behaved.  It made me feel ve
ry bad and ashamed, even though I obviously was not in my “right” mind when I did those things.
 

This/That…

Bath/Shower?

Bath
 

Markers/Crayons?

crayons, I cannot poke my eye out with them.

Pens/Pencils?

Pens

Jelly/Cream Cheese?

cream cheese

Bagel/Toast?

toast

Finish…

My greatest weakness is…my emotions

I wish I was…mentally healthy

Three things I wouldn’t do for a million dollars are…cheat on my husband, be mean to my daughter, eat poo

The oddest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth is…these little tiny baby octopus



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Firsts…

Credit card you had?

Visa

Loan you got was for?

Car

Paycheck was for how much?

I have not worked in fourteen years, so I cannot remember

Time you had stitches?
About five years ago, after a foot surgery.  I hated them.  I almost took them out myself, but my husband would not let me.  Something about blood and things coming out that should not.

Time you went to the hospital for something?
About three weeks ago.  I spent six days in the hospital for a very bad asthma attack.  I got to go home on Christmas Eve.

Lasts…

List everything you ate in the last 24 hours?

cream of wheat, orange, chicken salad, tuna, cream of wheat again, pb&j, and now red beans and rice.


Last thing you used a credit card for?

American Girl stuff.

What was your job previous to the one you have now?

I have been a domestic engineer for 14 years, before that I was a secretary.

Last thing you celebrated?

The last thing I celebrated was something personal.  I was able to leave my “safety area” for hours and not feel anxious.


Last time you were at a sports bar?

I do not even remember.  It has been that long.

Pinkie Rings

Unconscious Mutterings

Free association is described as a “psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content.” Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That’s an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this excercise, we’re just hoping to have a little fun with the technique. Each week I’ll post ten words to which you can respond to with the first thing that comes to mind. 

“Rules are, there are no rules.” There are no right or wrong answers. Don’t limit yourself to one word responses; just say everything that pops into your head.

I say … and you think … ? 

  1. Weak ::  Me
  2. Flashy :: pinkie rings 
  3. Sack ::  potato
  4. Business ::  none of your
  5. Purple ::  my favorite color
  6. Fan :: oriental
  7. Airline ::  Eastern
  8. Guide ::  medicine
  9. Lunch :: date
  10. Exercise ::  ugh!!

Picture of the Day – January 17th, 2010

The last few years of having a mom who was “checked out” due to severe depression has been hard on my daughter, Anna. In an effort to try and rebuild that relationship and because she really enjoys taking pictures, she was given a page in my blog to show off her pictures. All the pictures you will see in this section, will have been taken by my daughter. I personally think she does an awesome job.


Anna enjoys see any feedback anyone has about her pictures, so if you like what you see here, why not leave her a comment and let her know.
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Anna and me goofing off with the camera

Protecting What I Have Gained

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I do not know about other people who live with depression but I very often feel as if I have less control over my depression when my environment is negative.  The negativity could be caused by people’s drama, certain songs on the radio, movies, or even television shows.

Being so new in my depression recovery, not even a year, I know that it would be very easy for me to have a serious set back and lose a lot of the ground I have gained so far in my recovery.  In an effort to protect that, I have made certain ground rules for myself to keep my environment as positive as possible.

1.  No drama.  Family or otherwise.  If someone attempts to draw me into their drama, I close off communication.  Sometimes permanently, sometimes only temporarily.  It just depends on how drama prone the person is.  I know how I am.  Drama feeds into the anger I have, which then feeds into my rage, I say something I regret, whic then feeds into my depression.  Or the drama just flat out depresses me.

2.  No surrounding myself with negative people with negative thoughts and actions.  I have even gone so far as to forbid negative comments from my family.  Constructive advice is good, negative comments are bad.  That includes gossiping about others.  Gossip is negative.  I strictly follow the rule of “if you cannot say anything nice, do not say anything at all”. 

3.  I always look for at least three positive things for every not so wonderful situation.  Sometimes finding three positive things is difficult or impossible, but I always attempt to find those three things.  That way I am always guaranteed to have a minimum of one positive thing about every situation.  Sometimes the positive things are silly.  For example, when it looked like I might have to be in the hospital for Christmas, one of the nurses decided to help me decorate my room and I was looking forward to seeing Santa Claus in the hospital on Christmas day. 

4.   I will no longer watch certain types of television shows or movies and a lot of times I will not watch the news.  This is not to isolate myself, as has been implied by some people, but it is an effort to keep my surroundings as positive as possible.  Real life human tragedies cause me to react in an over exaggerated emotional manner.  To put it plainly, other people’s tragedies become mine and I react to them as if they were mine.  It is debilitating.  I am in no way ready to be put in that situation yet.  I have yet to watch one single bit of news about Haiti, I see headlines go across my RSS feed ticker.  That is enough for me right now.  


Same with movies and television shows. If they show human tragedy, I cannot watch them.  Recently, I watched my Sister’s Keeper.  It was a wonderful movie.  However, for a couple of days after seeing it, I was depressed.  None of the previews prepared me for the ending.  




Following these rules, as best as I can, does help me.  What I have gained so far in my depression recovery is very precious to me.  I guard it as best as I can on a daily basis.  There are days when I do have slip ups and I “break” one of my own rules.  I never beat myself up about it.  I acknowledge to myself that I messed up and just move on.


Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.”
–– Ralph Waldo Emerson

If anyone wants to, I would love to hear what other people do to maintain a positive attitude.

Oy Vey

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Yesterday was not one of my better days.  I felt very down for most of the day.  I lacked a great deal of motivation.  Even my blog was difficult for me to work on.  I try and write some parts of my blog the day before I want to post them, so I can be sure to get my blog out as early as possible on the day I want it posted.  That did not happen.  I am still working on even the simplest sections this morning.  It is important for me to work, if possible, through those bad days.  It takes my mind off of myself and lets me focus on other things.  Focusing on other things than myself yesterday was a huge struggle. 

This morning started off not as good as I would have liked.  I woke up around four in the morning.  Buster the boxer was already awake.  He was walking around the house.  I did not think anything about it and I was drifting back off to sleep.  When I was half way asleep, I thought I heard water coming out of a faucet.  At first I thought I was dreaming, then I thought it was from a water faucet.  Then I remembered we had not left any water on because it was not cold enough for us to worry about.  I got up to investigate.  

What I discovered is that Buster the boxer had decided to drink a ton of water during the  night and filled up his bladder.  He knows he is not supposed to go to the bathroom in the house, but I guess his bladder got so full he could not hold it anymore.  There was a trail of pee all through the house.  I followed the trail and found him by the door.  He seemed to have a look of horror on his face, because of the trail of pee, and if dogs could cross their legs, his certainly would have been crossed.  He was very happy when I let him out.  I was very unhappy at having to clean up the trail of pee.   

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The culprit, Buster the boxer